


Tucked Away...

by parappa_maxwell



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Blood, Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Other, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sad, Sarcasm, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, dadvid, little black floof is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 05:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16278905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parappa_maxwell/pseuds/parappa_maxwell
Summary: “Do you ever miss yourself? The person you were before you had your first heartbreak, or before you were betrayed by someone you trusted? I do. It hurts me to look at little kids. They have no idea how hard this world is going to be for them. When I was five, I thought no one could hurt me. I thought I was invincible. I thought I was beautiful. I was friends with whoever said hi to me. Everyone was nice. Clothes didn't matter. I'd go to sleep tear free. I never had to try to run away. I was always smiling. I didn't want to kill myself. I miss feeling loved. I miss feeling cared about. But I’ve realized that I'm not worth it. I'm not worth the air I breathe. I'm not worth the food I eat or the water I drink. I'm not worth the time and space I take. I'm not worth anything. And so I figured I'd just do everyone a favour and die.”Max seemed woozy. Gwen looked at him with extreme concern in her eyes.“Max..? Max, what do you mean? Max?!”





	Tucked Away...

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on a school computer so all the swears are censored sorry
> 
> update: I am in the process of fixing all the swears

The day had finally come, Camp Campbell was over for the summer, and Max could finally get away from David, at least until next summer. But there was dread inside of him. Even though he complained about how much he hated camp, which he did, he didn't want to go home, he was scared. He knew he had a beating coming soon after he got home. He knew exactly how it’d go: his father would tell him to do a chore, he’d move a bit to slowly and SMACK! He’d get hit. This he was not looking forward to. Max would never tell David this, but some part of him wanted to stay at camp with David and Gwen. Max said his goodbyes to Nikki and Neil as their parents picked them up, and of course Max’s dad was the last to show up. David smiled down at Max, who had obviously been having doubts about anyone showing up at all. Abusive or not, they were his parents, and for some odd reason, he still loved them. Max’s dad got out of the car and plastered a fake smile on his face before shaking David and Gwen’s hands.

“Ah, Max’s dad, nice to meet you Mr. uhh…”

He paused, unsure of Max’s last name.

“Let’s not bother with names, I'm just here to pick up lil’ Maxi.”

He rubbed his son's head. Max flinched, then resisted the urge to swat his father’s hand away. Gwen noticed this and gave the kid a concerned look. Max saw the look on her face and panicked,

“Well Dad, don’t you think we should get going? I can’t wait to get home and see Mom!”

He almost choked on the bullshit.

“Alrighty then, bye Max! I hope to see you next summer!”

David had happy/sad tears in his eyes. Gwen leaned down to hug Max so she could whisper in his ear.

“Max if you need help now is your chance to say something, I will protect you, just step over to me.”

Max considered his options, but didn't like the consequences that would follow if anything went wrong.

“I'll be fine Gwen.”

He stayed put. Gwen looked at him but didn't say anything as he got in the car and drove away. Max sat in silence in the front seat, his mother not in the car, not looking forward to home. When Max got home he went straight to his room, ignoring his alcoholic mother watching TV on the couch. Max’s father followed suit. Max kept walking, terrified, and entered his room, which was trashed, contrary to the way he left it.

“Max.”

His father’s voice was stern.

“Where’s that stupid stuffed bear of yours?”

Max stiffened.

“Um… I uh…”

“Well?”

“I lost hi- I mean it...” Max lied.

“Let me search your bag.”

Max froze.

“Uh… okay.”

Max’s father pulled Mr. Honeynuts out of Max’s bag.

“Lost it eh?”

Max swallowed and his father slapped him.

“I'm going to teach you what happens when you lie to me.” Max’s father spat.

Max backed up against a wall. “No- wait- I'm sorry, I’m sorry!”

“You will be.”

The rest of the afternoon was filled with Max’s screams and cries.

Max sat in the corner of his room, crying quietly and hugging his knees. Luckily his father had forgotten all about Mr. Honeynuts in his rage and left him lying on the floor. Max crawled over and grabbed his bear before returning to the corner. He shakily sang to himself to feel better.

There's a place I know  
That's tucked away;  
A place where you and I can stay  
Where we can go to laugh and play,  
And have adventures everyday...  
I know it sounds hard to believe  
But guys and gals it's true,  
Camp Campbell is the place for me and you…

He rolled up his sleeve to look at the scars on his arm, the reason he rarely took off his sweater all summer. He pulled his sweater sleeve down and pulled out his phone, he scrolled through his contacts to find Gwen’s number, which, along with Davids number, he had stolen from David’s phone. He pressed the call button.

“Hello?”

“Gwen?”

“Yeah, who’s this”

“It's Max.” he sniffled.

“Max? How’d you get my number?”

“I stole it from David’s phone.” His voice was shaky and he found himself crying.

“Are you okay? You sound like you're crying.”

“I need your help. Can you come get me? I'll give you my address.”

“Yeah kid. Just hang on tight, okay?”

He gave her his address and she said she’d be over in an hour, she lived a little while away.

“Thanks Gwen. Oh, and one more thing?”

“Yeah Max?”

“C-can you bring David?”

“Yeah kiddo. I will.”

It wouldn't be too hard to do so, since he was her roommate in their apartment. Not like she could live on her own with a liberal arts degree, she could barely pay for clothes, at least David took care of food.

Max packed his bag and snuck out his window, he had given Gwen the address to a park three blocks away from his house. After awhile of waiting Gwen and David pulled up. Max opened the door to the front of the car, where David was sitting in the passenger seat.

“Get in the back David. I ride shotgun.”

Max tried to sound like his normal angsty self, but it was obvious he was crying. David listened and got in the back. Gwen looked at the crying boy and noticed a large dark spot on the front of his sweater.

“You okay, Max?”

Max was quick to snap at her.

“Okay? Do you think if I was fucking okay I'd call you to come to get me in the middle of the goddamn night?”

David spoke from the back seat as Gwen began to drive.

“Max, we just want to know what happened. We understand that something really bad happened for you to call us.”

Gwen laughed.

“Yeah, why else would you want to hang around David?”

She got a chuckle out of Max before he started to explain what happened.

“It's my dad… he's abusive, and my mom is an alcoholic. She doesn't care when dad is beating me. I used to have a brother, but we were in a car accident, and the paramedics saved me first, they- they were too late to-”

Max broke into a sob and brought his knees up to his chest.

“Hey, hey, it's okay… “

A hand was placed on Max’s shoulder. Max was confused as to who it was speaking until his teary eyes looked up to see it was David. He had never heard him speak so softly before, and some tiny part of his heart made room for David. Max sniffled and continued.

“After that, my dad started beating me, and my mom started drinking. I guess they blame me for my brother's death, and to be honest, I do too.”

Gwen was obviously upset by this.

“Max… I'm so sorry..,”

Max chuckled.

“Heh… ‘sorry’... everybody’s fucking sorry…”

David looked at him with sad eyes.

“We really are sorry you've been through all of that… we really do want to help…”

Max sighed.

“I know, I'm sorry.”

Gwen looked surprised.

“Did I just hear Max say sorry?”

Max was quick to defend himself.

“What? No! Shut the hell up Gwen.”

Max stopped talking after that, and it was clear he wasn’t going to start again. They pulled into the parking lot and walked up the stairs to their apartment. Max piped up.

“Of course Gwen lives in a shitty apartment.”

“Gwen and me.”

David corrected him. Max laughed.

“So you couldn't even get you your own place? You had to share with David? I'm surprised a liberal arts degree even got you this far.”

Gwen groaned and unlocked the door, letting Max and David in.

“Are you okay with sleeping on the couch for awhile, Max? We only have two bedrooms.”

“Yeah, that's fine.”

Max threw himself onto the couch and lied down, ready to sleep, even though he wasn’t sure if he could. Gwen got Max a blanket and two pillows. Now that they weren’t outside in the dark, Gwen noticed that the dark spot on his sweater was actually blood, and Max’s nose was bleeding.

“Max, you're bleeding.”

Max looked down at his hoodie and felt his nose.

“Oh.”

“Let’s get you out of that hoodie and get your face cleaned up.” She pulled Max’s hoodie off. “David, will you through this in the wash with some towels or something?”

“Sure thing, Gwen!” David chimed in his usual sickeningly cheery tone.

Max was trying to nonchalantly hide his arms because the camp shirt he was wearing had short sleeves. Gwen lead him to the bathroom and sit him down on the counter while she grabbed a rag and dampened it, then proceeded to wipe the dried blood off of his face. She couldn’t help but notice him hiding his arms.

“Max, can I see your arms?”

Max’s heart dropped and his mind was racing for a way out of this situation. Instead he just started to cry, he didn't know why, he just did.

“Woah, Max, are you okay?”

That's when she saw it. Up and down his arms were about eighty cuts, old and new, on each arm, forty on the top and bottom of each forearm. She gasped.

“Shoot, Max…”

This just made Max cry more. He already knew he was fugged up, he didn't need a reminder. David heard Max and quickly walked into the bathroom to see what was going on. He saw the cuts on Max’s arms and his heart sank. He rushed over and hugged Max tightly. Max hugged back and clutched the back of Davids shirt. Max calmed down a little and started to speak.

“I'm sorry, I know it's bad and I know I should stop, but I don't expect you to understand why I do it…”

“Max… I understand…”

Max was about to ask david what the fugg he meant, until he looked up to see David showing him his chest, which had faint scars on it from years ago. Gwen stared at both of them in shock before lifting up her shirt partly to reveal old scars of her own on her sides. Max laughed a little.

“Oh great, it looks like we’re all fugged up.”

David kneeled down in front of Max, who was still sitting on the counter, and took Max’s hands in a fatherly way.

“We will help you get through this Max, we care about you.”

Max smiled and David stood up.

“Now go get ready for bed.”

For once in his life, Max listened to David and went and got on the couch and lied down to sleep. Gwen said goodnight and turned off the light and David shouted a goodnight from the hallway. Max lay awake, staring at the ceiling, he couldn’t sleep. Eventually he got up and walked to David’s door. He contemplated knocking, but decided the fugger has no say in whether Max sleeps in there or not. Max decided to sleep on the floor, because sleeping in the same bed as another guy is gay, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Max fell asleep clutching Mr. Honeynuts to his chest.

Max was awoken by a sharp pain in his side, a loud thud and David’s signature scream. Max very loudly said;

“OW! WHAT THE FUGG DAVID WATCH WHERE YOU'RE FUGGING GOING YOU IDIOT!”

“Max what the frick-frack snick-snack are doing on my floor?”

“I couldn't sleep.”

“Oh. “

David left to go to the bathroom and Max went back to sleep. When David came back he was very careful not to kick or step on Max, then went back to sleep in his own bed.

Max awoke to an ache in his side, he lifted up his shirt to see it was badly bruised. He decided not to tell David, it’d just make him feel bad. He got up to see David still sleeping, but he could hear Gwen watching some white trash reality TV show in the living room. He decided to go out and join her, he liked pointing out how staged it is to peeve her off. He walked out of David’s room, but his side hurt with every step he took. Max walked into the living room and Gwen said good morning.

“The dryer just got done, your sweater is in there.”

“Fugging finally.”

Max walked to the dryer and pulled out his sweater, it was warm. He put it on and enjoyed the cozy feeling it gave him. He then walked up to Gwen, who was in the kitchen.

“I'm hungry, feed me.”

Gwen poured him a bowl of cereal.

“How come you slept Davids room?”

“None of you fugging business, Gwen”

“C’mon Max, I just wanna know.”

“I couldn’t sleep okay? I just felt safer in there.”

“What do mean safer?”

“I don't know I was scared okay?”

“What were you scared of?”

“Jesus, what is this, a fugging interveiw?”

“Just answer the question Max.”

“I was just scared my dad would somehow find us, okay?”

Gwen sighed, eager to change the subject.

“Y’know I never thought I’d be taking care of a Campbell camper outside of camp.”

“Me neither!”

David said from the hallway as he walked into the kitchen.

“Why do you two even work at Camp Campbell anyway?”

Max asked.

David smiled.

“Well I just love handling children! I love kids in general!”

Gwen sighed.

“David don't say it like that you sound like a ped-”

“I wish I could just give all the children in the world a big, hard hug.”

Max got up from his seat and walked over to David, then tugged on his shirt. David looked down at him.

“Yes, Max?”

Max looked at him deeply.

“Are you a pedophile?”

Gwen burst out laughing and David tried to take back what he said after realizing how it sounded. Max smirked at David. Gwen looked at Max.

“Max, what clothes do you have? Like from camp.”

Max thought about it for a second.

“The clothes I'm wearing right now?”

“Well then I guess you'll need new ones.”

Max smiled. He usually didn't get new clothes, heck, he’d been wearing his blue hoodie since he was seven. Gwen grabbed the cars keys and headed out the door, Max followed.

“You coming David?”

“No, I have to do laundry and dishes.”

Gwen rolled her eyes and walked out the door with Max. Max followed close, not wanting to be left behind. It's funny, he thought, he always thought his parents would be the ones leaving him, but it turned out to be the other way around. Max looked down at his feet and sighed, he missed the old days, when his brother was still alive, when his father was still loving, when his mother was still sober, when he was still… happy. It wasn’t until Gwen said something that Max had realized he wasn't walking anymore.

“You okay, Max?”

“What? Oh, uh- yeah I’m fine…”

Gwen kneeled down and put her hand on his should.

“You sure?”

Max sighed.

“Can we talk in the car?”

“Sure kid.”

They continued to walk to the car and then got in and Gwen started the car. Max looked out the window as she started to drive. After a while Max spoke up.

“I miss the old me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember my first year at camp? When I was five?”

“Yeah?”

“When I was happy? When I didn't swear? When I wasn't so cynical”

“I thought you just grew up.”

“That's what everyone else said.”

“Oh. Max I want to say I understand but-”

“You don’t, I'm alone, I'm always alone, even if I have people telling me their there for me, I'm still alone. And it fugging hurts because I'm finally starting to grasp that at the end of the day all I really have is myself and my fugged up thoughts.”

“What kind of thoughts?”

“Suicidal”

Gwen was taken aback, he said it so nonchalantly, like he's just used to it. Like he's been that way for awhile. She felt like he needed to talk more about it.

“Continue.”

“I was hassled a lot in school about the way I acted after my brother died. People told me ‘get over it.’, I tried. People told me ‘get better grades.’, I tried. People told me ‘stop being so quiet.’, I tried. People told me ‘you look tired, get more sleep.’, I tried. People got so fed up with me that they started bullying me, and people told me to kill myself, and guess what, I fugging tried. But did anyone care? No. All I got was yelled at and beaten every time my parents had to pay for a fugging hostpital bill. Eventually my dad told me next time it happened that no one was gonna save me, but I almost drowned the next day, and my neighbor saved me. I wish my dad had been right. I wish the paramedics had saved my brother first. I wish I was fugging dead.”

“Max… you don't mean that.”

“Yeah I fugging do Gwen, I didn't ask do be born, I didn't ask to have a fugged up family. I didn't ask to be fugging betrayed.”

Gwen sighed, and looked at Max, who was about to cry.

“Is there anything else you want to talk about Max?”

“Yeah…”

Max thought for a moment.

“Do you ever miss yourself? The person you were before you had your first heartbreak, or before you were betrayed by someone you trusted? I do. It hurts me to look at little kids. They have no idea how hard this world is going to be for them. When I was five, I thought no one could hurt me. I thought I was invincible. I thought I was beautiful. I was friends with whoever said hi to me. Everyone was nice. Clothes didn't matter. I'd go to sleep tear free. I never had to try to run away. I was always smiling. I didn't want to kill myself. I miss feeling loved. I miss feeling cared about. But I’ve realized that I'm not worth it. I'm not worth the air I breathe. I'm not worth the food I eat or the water I drink. I'm not worth the time and space I take. I'm not worth anything. And so I figured I'd just do everyone a favour and die.”

Max seemed woozy. Gwen looked at him with extreme concern in her eyes.

“Max..? Max what do you mean? Max?!”

Max gave her a meaningless and empty smile and pulled an empty prescription bottle for antidepressants out of his hoodie pocket, tears streaming down his face. Gwen watched as his eyes closed and started shaking him and yelling at him. Nothing. He was silent. She couldn't even hear him breathing. Gwen drove to the nearest hospital, and called David after they told her to stay in the waiting room. David had hailed a taxi and hurried to Gwen. When he arrived Gwen was bawling into her hands. David rushed over and hugged her, tears now streaming down his own face. A nurse walked out.

“Did you two bring Max in?”

Gwen looked up at her.

“Yeah.”

“We’ve got him stable, you can go visit him in his room. We don't know when he’ll wake up but he will be okay.”

Gwen hugged the nurse.

“Oh thank you.”

David and Gwen headed to Max’s hospital room. David and Gwen sat down on the couch in the room and doctors and nurses shuffled in and out of the room. After about an hour and a half of waiting, Max finally woke up. Gwen and David rushed to his side. A doctor walked into the room. Max looked around, trying to figure out what was going on, until he realized.

“FUGG!”

He yelled, the pain in his voice apparent. David looked at him sadly. Max started to cry.

“GODDARNIT! I'm still here! What the fugg did you do?!”

Gwen looked at him and her heart dropped. He looked like he was hurting so much.

“Max… I couldn't just let you die… “

“You fugging should have! I don't want to be here!”

“Max don't say that…”

“I WISH I HAD DIED IN THAT FUGGING CRASH INSTEAD OF MY BROTHER!”

Everything fell silent. Max looked away from David and Gwen and cried quietly. The last thing he said for some time being:

“Just leave me alone…”

Gwen and David talked quietly amongst themselves until the doctor had told them that Max was ready to go home and told them to keep an eye on him. It had gotten so late Max had fallen asleep. David put the sleeping kid on his back and carried him to the car and buckled him in in the back seat, then got in the front as Gwen drove home. By the time they got home, Max had woken up, but he wasn't speaking, he just stared at his feet all the way up to the apartment, then when they got inside he finally spoke.

“D-David?”

David seemed surprised to hear him speak.

“Yes, Max?”

“Can I s-sleep in your r-room tonight?”

“Of course, Max.”

Max went straight to David's room where his makeshift bed from earlier was still on the floor. He just lied down and hugged his bear close to his chest, then shut his eyes tight. David walked in the room careful not to step on Max.

“Goodnight Max.”

David tried, but max was done talking. David got into his bed and tried to fall asleep. Gwen peaked her head in to say goodnight, but Max still wasn't talking. Just as David was about fall asleep he was awoken by a faint sound. It was a small whimper in the silence, followed by soft crying. David sat up, and the crying almost stopped, but only for a second before it continued.

“Max?”

“What do you want David..?”

“Are you okay?”

“What the fugg do you think? Just leave me alone…”

“Max, it's okay to ask for help if you need it.”

“I don't need help, besides, even if I did, no one can help me. I'm too broken.”

“You're not too broken, everyone can be helped.”

“David. Stop.”

“Max, I just want to help.”

“Well you're not, so if you could kindly fugg off that’d be great.”

“Max I-”

“You what David? You want me to be happy? Well it isn't gonna happen so just give up. I already have.”

“Goodnight Max.”

“Fugg off.”

David laid back down, and he heard Max start crying again. David lay awake for awhile, until he heard Max snoring, then he fell asleep. When he woke up in the morning Max was still asleep. He carefully stepped around Max and joined Gwen at the breakfast counter. Max joined them a couple minutes later. Gwen poured him some cereal, but Max wasn't hungry. David looked at him.

“Max you have to eat, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!”

“David would you fugging stop?”

“Stop what?”

“Pretending that everything is alright! Because it's not, and pretending isn't gonna help.”

“But Max I think you deserve to be happy.”

“And it's just like I told you yesterday; It's. Not. Gonna. Fugging. Happen.”

David sighed and left the counter, leaving to his room. Gwen watched David leave and then looked at Max.

“Max you really do need to eat.”

“I'm not hungry.”

“Max please.”

“I said I'm not fugging hungry.”

Max got up from the counter, his food untouched, and he went and sat on the couch. He turned on the TV, but he wasn't watching it, he was just sort of stared through it. Gwen came and sat next to him. Max ignored her presence, focusing harder on the nothingness behind the TV. Gwen looked at him.

“Max, we need to talk.”

Silence.

“Max, please.”

More silence.

“Max.”

“What do you want Gwen?”

“We need to talk.”

“I don't want to. You can't make me.”

Gwen sighed. She wanted to tell him ‘too bad’, but it was just make things worse.

“Look, Max. You're right, I can't make you do anything, and if you don't want to talk right now, then I guess that's fine. But I want you to know that I want to talk because I care, and I want you to be happy.”

Max looked at her with a obviously fake smile on his face.

“I'm happy, see? I'm smiling, that means I'm happy. You can leave me alone now, I'm fine.”

His eyes were brimming with tears.

“Max, you don't have to pretend. Pretending isn't gonna do anything. It's okay to not be okay, but I don't want you in danger. I care about you, David cares about you, and everyone at camp cares about you. So just hold on, a little bit longer, just for me, David, and yourself.”

Max leaned over scooted over and hugged her, tears streaming down his face now.

“I'm sorry…”

They both heard a thud from David’s room. Gwen didn't seem concerned, but Max was. He got up and went to David room, then opened the door without knock, and saw David in fetal position against the wall, an empty beer bottle in his hand and two more on the floor next to him. All Max could think of was his mom, and what he’d done to her, and now it was happening again with David. David didn't notice Max until Max started to cry. David wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Max?”

Max didn't respond, he was having a flashback of some sort. Max was mumbling an rocking back and forth, crying and looking at nothing. David tried to put his hand his shoulder, but Max flinched and looked at him.

“Don't hit me..!”

David gasped.

“Max I would never-”

“Don't touch me..!”

“Max I'm not gonna do anything, it's me, David.”

David sounded irritated. Max looked at him with fear.

“Stay away..!”

“SNAP OUT OF IT MAX!”

David’s hand swiftly fell across Max’s face. Max looked at him in shock.

“You… you hit… me…”

David looked at his hand, then Max, who had his hand on his cheek.

“Max, I'm sorry, I-”

“No… I can't… I-”

Max was at a loss for words, and ran out of the room crying. Max ran into the living room and sat behind the couch hugging his knees. Gwen looked at him with concern.

“Max what happened? What's wrong?”

Max tried to explain but he was crying too much. David came from the hallway and kneeled down next to Max, he tried to pat his head but Max flinched and covered his head with his hands.

“Please don't hit me.”

Gwen looked at Max and then at David.

“David what the heck did you do?”

 

“He's was freaking out and I wasn't thinking and I accidentally hit him and I didn't mean to and now it's made things worse and I'm so sorry.”

Gwen looked at David in shock, then went and sat down next to Max, waiting for him to calm down. She pulled him into a hug, and he flinched at first, but then hugged back. After a couple minutes Max calmed down, still crying quietly. David looked at him.

“I'm sorry Max, I shouldn't have done that, and I know an apology won't fix anything but I didn't know what to do.”

Max sniffled.

“Why didn't you just calm me down normally? Why not just google what to do?”

“I don't even know why you were freaking out.”

“Oh, I don't know, maybe because I came to see if you were okay and you were fugging drinking because of me? I already pushed my mom into a drinking habit I didn't want the same thing to happen to you!”

Gwen looked at David with concern.

“You were drinking? David you never drink!”

David was silent, a sad look on his face. Max buried his face in his knees. Gwen didn't know what to say, none of them did.

Max got up.

“I'm gonna go take a bath.”

Gwen looked at him.

“Do you want me to wash your clothes while you're in there?”

“Sure.”

Max walked over to his bag and grabbed his swim trunks, not yet comfortable being fully nude, and then went to the bathroom and changed, then started running the bath water. He watched as the water filled the tub. Gwen knocked and entered to collect his clothes so she could wash them. When the tub was full Max got in. It was to hot, and it turned his skin slightly red, but he didn't mind. As he sat in the tub, he thought of how easy it would be to drown himself right then and there. He’d always thought drown would be so peaceful, floating in the water, it must feel like flying, and the burning in your lungs as they fill with water, the heaviness in your chest making you sink, lying at the bottom of the water, closing your eyes one last time. Max sank into the water and held his breath until he couldn't hold it anymore, then he came back up for air, deciding he’d already put Gwen and David through enough. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift. He tried to think happy thoughts, but all he could think of was David, and his parents, and how they had become so similar. He felt the place on his cheek were David had slapped him, and tried to shake the thought from his head, but it just wouldn't go away. What if David became just like his father, but in a bad way? Max sighed and opened his eyes, staring at the steam rising to the ceiling, frustrated. The chatter in his head wouldn't shut up, he just wished he could get some peace and quiet, somewhere away from his own thoughts. Eventually he got out of the bath and dried off, then grabbed his phone off the counter, where it had been charging, and looked to see a text from Neil, who he had exchanged numbers with.

“Hey Max! How’s it going?”

“Nothing much, just dying.”

“Oh, you don't mean that.”

“No, actually, I was in the hospital yesterday, I almost died.”

“Jesus Christ, what on earth did you do?”

Max contemplated telling him the truth.

“Do you want the real story or the fake one, cause I kinda don't wanna tell you what happened.”

“I want both stories, real and fake.”

“Fake: I was in a car crash.  
Real: I overdosed on antidepressants and Gwen had drive me to the hospital.”

“Wait, on purpose?”

“Yeah.”

“Holy shiq Max, are you okay?”

“Honestly, no.”

“Wait why was Gwen there?”

“Oh yeah, I had to run away from my abusive dad and alcoholic mom, call Gwen, give them my whole back story about my dead brother and all that crud, and start living with her and David.”

“You have a brother?”

“Had, actually.”

“If you don't mind me asking?”

“We were in a car crash and the paramedics saved me first and they couldn't get to him on time. Wanna pull my heart strings a little harder Neil?”

“Sorry.”

“It's fine, I figured you’d find out someday, and then you’d ask questions. Anything you else you wanna ask while I’m still in the mood?”

“Does this mean David is your new dad?”

“I guess, but he feels more like my other dad.”

“What do you mean?”

“He uh, he kinda hit me.”

“What!? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I mean, he didn't mean to, but it hurt.”

“How did he hit you on ‘accident’?”

“I was having a flashback and I wouldn't let him get near me and he didn't know what to do. Like that one time with Nurf.”

“Makes sense, I guess.”

“Yeah, I just, I'm just a little shaken up. Anymore questions?”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry but I'm not gonna finish it. If you have wattpad though there's a continued version on my account @avada_cadabra.


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